Rip Currents & Other Beach Related Dangers

Eighty percent (80%) of all beach rescues are related to rip currents. A rip current is a channel of water that flows away from the shore. Rip currents often form at breaks in sandbars and near jetties and piers. They can be narrow or more than 50 yards wide. Rip currents are common and can be found on many ocean beaches and large lakes.

When you arrive at the beach, ask the lifeguard about water conditions and any rip currents that may be present or look for international flags signaling water conditions. Download more information about water safety flags and signals. Rip currents contain choppy water that creates clouds of sediment or sand, which can change the color of the water. Look for a channel of brown foamy water, possibly containing seaweed or debris that is moving out to sea.

If caught in a rip current, stay calm, and don’t fight the current. A rip current will pull you away from the shore, but it will not pull you under water. To escape, swim parallel to the shore, until you are out of the current. Then swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore.

If you are unable to escape, face the shore, float or tread water and call or wave for help. If the current weakens, swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore.
If you see someone caught in a rip current, get help from the lifeguard. If a lifeguard isn’t present, yell instructions on how to escape. If possible, throw the victim something that floats and call 911 for help. Do NOT try to rescue the victim yourself. Many people have died trying to rescue others from rip currents.

The beach is a wonderful place to spend time, yet there are many dangers that can turn a fun day into a tragic one. To help prevent injuries, Project Wipeout at Hoag Memorial in Newport Beach, CA has created an informative brochure, which they’ve given us permission to reprint here. It provides basic safety information on the types of injuries that occur, how they happen and what you can do to protect yourself.

Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries

Most beach-related neck and spinal cord injuries are caused by the tremendous strength of the ocean’s waves forcing a person’s neck and spine into harmful, unnatural positions.

These injuries occur in a variety of ways. When your body tumbles in the waves, gets thrown by the waves to the ocean floor or when your head spears into the sand; your head can be forced down into your shoulders, pushed forward into your chest or pushed backward further than it can naturally extend, causing spinal cord damage. And once spinal cord damage is sustained, little can be done to medically repair it. The result is severe pain, paralysis, the inability to breathe on your own or even death.

Dangerous activities that may result in neck and spinal cord injury include, but are not limited to:

• Diving headfirst into waves or the water
• Jumping off piers, rocks, jetties or surf boards
• Any activity that puts you at risk for trauma to the head or neck

Other Common Beach Injuries

Cuts, abrasions and fractures
The most common injuries at the beach are cuts or abrasions, and fractured or dislocated shoulders, wrists and ankles. These injuries frequently occur from inappropriate use of sports equipment such as surfboards and boogie boards.

To avoid these types of accidents, familiarize yourself with your equipment. Make sure it is the appropriate type and size for you, and know your limitations when using it.
Also, please don’t bring glass containers to the beach. Broken glass, hidden in the sand, also causes injuries.

Sunburn
Reduce your risk of sunburn and more importantly, skin cancer, by following these sun safety tips courtesy of HOAG Cancer Center’s Project Sun Safe Programs:

• Apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 half hour before going outdoors.
• If surfing or swimming, make sure your sunscreen is waterproof.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours, or more frequently, especially if you’re sweating or swimming. There’s no such thing as all-day protection, even if the sunscreen is waterproof.
• Seek shade and cover up, especially between 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, when the sunshine is strongest.

Burns due to fire pits
Keep children away from fire pits. The majority of fire pit victims are children, two to five years of age, who mistake fire pits for sandboxes.

Fire pit burns occur when a child or adult comes in contact with hot coals that have been covered up with sand. That’s why it’s important to assume every fire pit is hot, even if it is full of sand and there is no smoke. The sand acts like an oven, allowing the coals to remain red-hot for as long as 24 hours. Anyone who walks or falls on the coals can be severely burned, and a small child may sustain life-threatening burns.

When using a fire pit, please be sure to extinguish it correctly – by covering the coals completely with water, not sand!

Information used with permission from Project Wipeout at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, California.